Earlier this summer, Torrid made headlines as the first plus-size brand set to stage a show at New York Fashion Week.
While the brand is an O.G. plus-size retailer and may be the first to show with fashion week host company IMG, it’s not the only one to have featured clothing for women above a size 12 on New York runways. Designer Eden Miller of Cabiria showed a plus-size line at The Fashion Institute’s showcase in September 2013, and Addition Elle has staged multiple shows at unofficial venues, including one on Monday with Ashley Graham.
Additionally, designers like Christian Siriano have made in-roads in featuring a range of body types on the runway, with this week’s Eckhaus Latta, Chromat and Project Runway shows also featuring a range of plus-size looks.
Now that other retailers are catching up to the brand’s original plus-size mission, how did the brand compete in its first fashion week show Tuesday?
Torrid’s presentation wasn’t a drastic departure from the casual, curve-accentuating looks customers expect to see on the brand’s racks at the mall. The show was a parade of cleavage-accentuating corsets, ripped light-wash jeans and dresses that were largely sheer, mesh or slashed with a thigh-high slit. Not all the show’s looks were ultra-casual — flowing boho sundresses, darker pants and leather jackets were also featured.
Compared to newer plus-size retailers like Eloquii and Nicolette Mason and Gabi Gregg’snewly-launched Premme, the brand’s collection has some fierce competition. Yet, Torrid is still in a class of its own at fashion week, a reasonably-affordable brand offering exclusively plus-size looks ready for work or (mostly) play.